Turning Around Pennsylvania

By Dan Johnson

Everyone talks about 'lowering taxes' and 'making pa great' again - but where are the specifics? Here is a key one for Pennsylvania from Dan Johnson.

Who isnt for that?

The problem is - there is nothing specific with those statements - nothing to show how it is you would go about doing those things and that leaves voters with either a campaign promise or rhetoric.

Im not a politician and so I dont do that. Yes, Im for all those things, but the difference is Im going to be specific and tell you how it can all be done in short order.

First - government does not create jobs - but it does strangle them through regulation, taxation, slow bureaucratic policies and lack of incentives to do business here.

Second - anyone who owns property pays their mortgage or loan payment but they also pay high property taxes that are supposed to pay for schools - schools by the way that arent doing well at all, high drop out rates and last I checked - not controlling their spending.

Third - government and others have advocated for more laws to squeeze any form of money possible from businesses and citizens to pay for the bloated, overspent, over borrowed budgets.

How do we address all these things - quickly and efficiently?

We start with what impacts the most people - thats school property taxes.

So what is the Solution? Eliminate that tax. Thats right - not cut it, not reduce it a little over time, but outright elimination of the tax. The moment that happens several reactions will come about:

First - everyone's property values will rise because you dont have the burden of an assessment on your home anymore.

Second, you will no longer have to escrow those taxes, meaning your mortgage payment goes down. Thats money right back into your pocket.

Third - those trying to buy a home will need less money at closing to cover those taxes and means a more affordable home payment which opens up the possibility of a bigger or better home, and with less property tax, it will be a little easier to sell a home too.

Retirees and those on a fixed income wont have to worry about losing a home because of rising property taxes anymore! 10,000 homes are taxen each year as a result of tax related issues. That would essentially end.

Fourth, businesses own property too! That means whether you have a small business, a medium sized plant or hundreds of acres, you are no longer saddled with paying that tax and can use that money to expand, hire more people or, if kept as profit, improve your cash flow and that filters to stock holders who are generally large pensioners and retirees.

Fifth, with the influx of cash back to property owners who no longer pay the tax, they will save, spend or give the money away - resulting in more purchasing, more services used and therefore creating a demand for goods and services that creates jobs - an estimated 130,000 jobs. That stimulates an economy better than anything!

Finally, it puts tax paying back into the hands of Pennsylvanians.

If we shift school taxes back to where it belongs, as part of the state sales tax, where it started, and with this extra money into the economy from increased spending by our citizens, it will be spent, driving revenue through the already existing sales tax back to schools so funding is assured and improved. Money comes from us, tourists, visitors to PA and corporations doing business here with each purchase they make - thats a much broader base than just on the backs of home and property owners.

This one change will improve the lives of every property owner, home owner and business in Pennsylvania - imagine not having those taxes taken out - what would you do with the money? Would the quality of your life improve? Could you pay down debt - espescially in our current economy? The possibilities are endless - but if we want to talk about kickstarting PA's economy again - from creating jobs, lowering taxes, giving businesses the tools to grow here instead of somewhere else, then this is a surefire way to do just that - benefitting the most Pennsylvanian's as possible.